Quade Cooper not thinking of replacing Ben Mowen as Wallabies captain

Quade Cooper says he is not focused on becoming the next Wallabies captain following Ben Mowen's decision to leave Australian rugby at the end of 2014.

Mowen captained the Wallabies on their spring tour of Europe in November, but made the announcement last week he will seek opportunities to play in France next year.

The 29-year-old only made his Test debut against the British and Irish Lions last year before later leading the Wallabies on six occasions, beginning with their Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Perth.

Cooper was Mowen's vice-captain on the spring tour and his name has been mentioned as a possible Wallabies skipper, along with the likes of former captain James Horwill, and Will Genia and David Pocock.

The Queensland Reds fly half only re-established himself in the Wallabies' set-up when Ewen McKenzie was appointed as coach, having been left out of the squad that faced the Lions by Robbie Deans.

Cooper says he is purely concentrating on making the Wallabies starting XV this year, rather than considering the possibility of becoming captain.

"For me I've got to focus on my boxing fight coming up and then doing my best for the Queensland Reds and hopefully being a part of the Wallabies moving forward," he said.

"So I'm not thinking about captaincy, I'm thinking of playing well for the team that I'm a part of and hopefully being able to step up and re-join the Wallabies."

The suggestion Cooper could become Wallabies captain would have been far fetched in 2012, when he described the national squad environment under Deans as being "toxic".

There is little doubt Cooper's comments played a part in his non-selection for the Lions series, although Deans highlighted defensive flaws as the key reason for leaving out the 50-Test veteran.

Cooper relished taking on the vice-captaincy role under McKenzie, who last week refused to rule out the 25-year-old as a contender to replace Mowen.

"It's great to be spoken about in that light with guys throwing up my name with the possibility of being a Wallaby captain," Cooper said.

"I look back six months and think there is no way it could have happened or even been thrown in as a possibility. I know the hard work is paying off."

Cooper admits to learning on the job as Wallabies vice-captain

Cooper says he learned much from his stint as Wallabies vice-captain, highlighting the need to take greater responsibility both on and off the field.

"I just had to go out there and do the things that was asked of me and then away form the game work as hard as possible to set a good example for the guys around me," he said.

"I think that is one of the things I learned from this tour and something that I'll continue to work at."

Reds head coach Richard Graham will retain Horwill as captain and Genia as his deputy for the Super Rugby season.

But he has noted how Cooper has grown into leadership roles with the Reds, as displayed when he led the side against the Lions in the tour match at Lang Park last June.

"It is a credit to him that people are talking about him in that space," Graham said.

"He's been a leader here in certain aspects for the last four seasons. He led the team really well against the British and Irish Lions last year and that's obviously a decision that Ewen is going to have to make in six months time."

Cooper returned to full-time training with the Reds this week, with the Brisbane-based franchise to begin their preseason trials with a clash with the Chiefs in Toowoomba on February 8.